


Resolution

by he_niece_of_lucifer



Category: Megamind (2010)
Genre: Angst, Banter, Board Games, Bonding, Developing Friendships, Developing Relationship, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Eventual Smut (Maybe), F/M, Flirting, Fluff and Angst, Love Confessions, Metro Man doesn’t have a filter, Minion’s love language is food, Misunderstandings, Mutual Pining, New Year's Eve, New Year's Kiss, That’s basically all this fic is, They all get a break for once, We’ll change the rating as we go, constant flirting, mostly fluff tbh
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-23
Updated: 2021-03-09
Packaged: 2021-03-13 12:14:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,624
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29651166
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/he_niece_of_lucifer/pseuds/he_niece_of_lucifer
Summary: Roxanne Ritchi and Megamind both have bad memories associated with wintertime, which really peak around the new year. Given a little time (and alcohol), maybe they can bond over their trauma. Includes: bad weather, guests of both the invited and uninvited variety, and boards games.
Relationships: Megamind/Roxanne Ritchi
Comments: 12
Kudos: 39





	1. It’s Raining

Roxanne hated this time of year.

There wasn’t any one reason that made her hate it, but rather a laundry list of bad things that had happened on New Years in her past. Even thinking the name of the holiday left a bad taste in her mouth. The only tradition she practiced anymore was one of her own; wine, a shitty romance film, and hours of alone time.

When Megamind, nearly a decade ago now, had entered her life, she had been looking forward to something new and exciting during the winter months. She had expected him at the time to steal her away from whatever boring Christmas party she was at, as he had a habit of doing on every other holiday. But no such thing happened. He hadn’t planned anything for New Years either, which later she had learned was because he didn’t like winter, though to this day she had no idea why not.

It’s not like she would ask him, though. She of all people understood that winter could be an unpleasant reminder of painful memories. That spark in his eyes, present all other times, seemed to dim from the first snowfall in December to sometime in February, like someone had doused the flaming passion he harbored for life in freezing water.

Needless to say, she didn’t expect him to show up to her house to “kidnap” her, if one could even really call it that. She was taking up a majority of the couch while she lounged and drank cheap wine from one of her prettier glasses. She hadn’t bothered taking her makeup off after work, so the rim had smudges of a soft nude lipstick on it. It didn’t matter. At some point she had decided to change into something more comfortable, that being a pair of old gray leggings, a baggy sweatshirt with a worn logo, and fuzzy, mismatched socks.

Though the day had undeniably become more and more terrible as time went on, this part of it was okay. She was getting a little tipsy, and although she was being bombarded with memories that she would much rather forget, the movie was just getting to the beginning of a sex scene; it was the whole reason she chose this film. Her curtains were drawn against the low, cheerful hum of the city below, allowing her to wallow comfortably in her sadness.

A knock at her balcony door made her jolt into a sitting position; if her wine glass hadn’t been almost empty, she would have spilled it all over the couch and herself. There was only one person it could possibly be, but she didn’t understand why. It was his least favorite holiday, in his least favorite season, and it was pouring rain outside.

It then occurred to her that the person at her door was standing out in said rain, likely without an umbrella.

Roxanne set down her glass and rushed to the door, pushing aside the curtains that covered it to unlock it. What would her mother have said, knowing she would willingly let a supervillain into her home? Something like, “how could you be so stupid, Roxanne?” or “don’t you know what things a man like that would do to a girl like you?” or something even worse.

Roxanne pushed the thought of it away. Thinking about her mother would do nothing but make her angry, and she didn’t want to deal with that

Yes, it was definitely Megamind. He was wearing black, as usual, but there were no blue accents on the fabric, and his cape was black silk with no spikes on the shoulders. It looked like something a supervillain would wear to a funeral. She pulled the door open and offered him her best smile, but it was forced.

He could have slipped past her into the apartment, but he did not.

“Good afternoon, Miss Ritchi.” The tone of his voice was courteous, but flat, and his face reflected that mood. “I didn’t mean to interrupt anything.”

In the background, Roxanne could hear moaning from her TV, as the movie blared. Of all the times Megamind could have shown up, it had to be now.

“You’re not,” she said, aware that her face was probably red. But as she turned away to find the remote, she could have sworn there was a glimmer of humor in Megamind’s eyes. That was good, at least. Seeing him so serious made her nervous.

She paused the movie, and while she was at her coffee table, refilled her glass. It made her uneasy, the way his eyes followed her movement.

“So,” Roxanne started, taking a sip. “What brings you here on such a crappy day?”

“Well,” he said, “I was going to kidnap you for the evening, but...” his gaze fluttered over the scene before him. “It seems that you’re busy, so I understand if you’d rather stay here.”

Roxanne was, to say the very least, unnerved by Megamind’s calm demeanor. He had knocked, not broken in, and he was asking her if she’d like to be kidnapped or not. It wasn’t the way things usually went, so different from the usual excitement and cheer that Roxanne’s mind was reeling from the whiplash.

“I’m not busy,” she said quietly, fiddling with her glass. “Is it going to be fun?” Megamind let out a breathy laugh, but the smile didn’t reach his eyes.

“No,” he said, “not really.”

He stood there for a moment awkwardly, the rain gathering in droplets along his shoulders, and only then did Roxanne realize that he was waiting to be invited into her home.

“Come in,” Roxanne said, her face hot. “Please. It’s pouring out there. You must be cold.” It was clear to her that Megamind could do with a little bit of kindness, and it became even more apparent when his gaze softened, cheeks turning a subtle shade of lavender as he stepped inside. He pulled his cape in before closing her door, causing a sheet of water to cascade off of it, and all over Roxanne’s hardwood floors.

“I-I’m sorry!” Megamind looked around for something to mop up the water with, but there was nothing. Roxanne rushed to get some towels from her bathroom, and hurried back to Megamind, handing him one to dry himself off with before crouching and drying the floor as best she could.

“I’m so sorry,” Megamind said again, blushing furiously. “I should go, please excuse me-“

Before she even knew what she was doing, Roxanne grabbed Megamind’s wrist and held him from walking away. He refused to look back at her, the towel she had handed him slipping from his fingers.

“Hey,” she said, “it’s okay. It’s just a little water.”

When he didn’t respond, she tugged on his arm, coaxing him away from the door and seating him on the couch. Still his gaze refused to meet her own, instead focused somewhere on her coffee table. She took a seat next to him.

“So... what did you have planned for today?”

Megamind glanced at her through his eyelashes, seeming to scan her face before responding. Roxanne didn’t know what he was looking for.

“It... well, it’s nothing much. It relies entirely on the weather. It won’t work if there are too many clouds, or if it starts to snow or rain, which-“ he made a face as he looked out the window at the sheets of water cascading from the sky. “I guess I won’t be using it after all.”

“What is it?”

“A secret.”

Megamind almost smiled when she pouted at him playfully. As much as she questioned his life choices, he was still her friend. Seeing him unhappy made Roxanne want nothing more than to help.

“If I go with you, will you show me? I want to see this contraption of yours.” Megamind actually smiled, then. Not a fake smirk or condescending evil laugh. A real, genuine smile that pulled at his lips and made the corners of his eyes crinkle up. It made Roxanne’s chest feel warm.

“Well, I can certainly explain in theory how it works. Isn’t a big part of our act when I show off the evil plan to you?”

“Yes, but I can never see particularly well from where I sit. Maybe you can show me up close sometime.”

Megamind stared at her for a moment.

“You would actually want to see?” He seemed like he couldn’t believe the thought of it, which was sort of funny to Roxanne. Ever since she’d met him, she had found his ability to create fascinating.

“Absolutely.”

He hunched in on himself a bit at that, but he was beaming. Roxanne had known for a long time that Megamind was more sensitive to the opinions of others than he let on. It made her wonder, after seeing how pleased he was to have someone interested in what he did, how hard he actually took criticism. All she knew was that he could use a little bit of praise once in a while.

“I’ll go with you,” she said, smiling at him. “Give me just a minute to change, alright?”

“Yes, of course.”

But just as she was about to walk up the stairs to her bedroom, she heard a small voice from the living room.

“Miss Ritchi?”

“Yeah?”

“Perhaps we could-“ Megamind cut himself off, thinking for a moment before continuing. “After all, it’s a holiday. Maybe instead of my original plan, I could just- show you. What I’ve built, that is. We could go to the lair and I could- I could show you around? It wouldn’t have to be publicized or anything if you- didn’t want it to be.”

She didn’t need to be able to see his face to know that he was nervous. This was the first time he had ever made a request to spend time with her in a casual setting. As weird as it sounded, all their interactions for nine years had been at least partially work-related. And, sure, it was probably a bad idea to willingly go to the home of the city’s most well-known villain, regardless of how gentle he actually was, but Roxanne found herself eager at the thought of spending time with Megamind.

“That sounds really nice, Megamind. I’ll be ready to go in a couple minutes.”

She chose her favorite cashmere sweater. It was baggy, and soft, and a beautiful shade of sapphire blue. It paired well with her nice black leggings, which had actual pockets, and her winter boots. She nearly changed into a dress instead, but scolded herself for it. It was only Megamind. He wouldn’t judge.

Although she hadn’t intended on putting on more makeup, a glance in the mirror revealed the heavy circles under her eyes. It only took a few seconds to cover that up, and to comb out her hair.

There. She was human, at least.

Megamind turned to look at her when he heard her walking down the stairs, and to say he blushed was a bit of an understatement. His gaze seemed to hesitate near her shoulders; her sweater had a wide neck, revealing a good amount of skin, and her bra straps as well. Roxanne knew from the way he dressed that he was a modest person, had known for a long time, so she wasn’t too surprised when his entire face went purple, and his gaze fell to the coffee table. With all those spikes and high collars and full leather suits, Roxanne had never seen much more than his face and, on one occasion, his hands.

But he had seen her dressed like this before, so it made her curious as to what made this time different.

“Ah- Miss Ritchi, you look-“ he glanced up at her face, licking his lips so quickly that she almost didn’t catch it. “You look beautiful.”

She felt her heart stutter in her chest. The way he was gazing at her through his lashes was both very unlike him and sort of cute. But that vulnerable expression didn’t last. He cleared his throat, and stood, expression shifting to something more closed off.

“We’d better get going,” he said, straightening his collar. “It looks like the rain has calmed down for now. Maybe we can make it to the lair without getting drenched.”

“Want a drink before we go?” Roxanne walked over to the table and filled her glass.

“I’m the one driving.”

“Your point?” He hesitated for a moment, but when she offered him the glass, he took it.

“Thank you,” He said, taking a sip. Roxanne favored drinking straight from the bottle, which was probably not her brightest idea, but Megamind watched her with fascination.

She set the wine bottle back on the table, breathing heavily as she grabbed a jacket.

“Alright, I’m ready,” she said, placing a hand on her hip. Megamind grinned, and drained his glass before turning to walk towards the balcony door. Roxanne followed, tugging on her jacket. Even though the rain had stopped, it was still freezing outside, the whole city cast in a dreary light.

Megamind pulled what looked like a set of keys from his pocket and pressed a button on the little remote attached to it. The hoverbike materialized in front of them, and Roxanne couldn’t hide her amazement.

“You made the hoverbike invisible too?” She asked, turning her attention to Megamind.

“Yes, although it isn’t really a practical feature to use while on the bike. I’m still trying to figure out a way to make the rider appear invisible as well.”He paused for a moment, tapping his chin with a finger. “Well, I have to find a way that don’t lead to electrocution, anyways.”

Roxanne laughed. He said things like that so casually, as though getting electrocuted was just another day for him. And maybe that wasn’t funny when she really thought about it, but the way he was gazing at her, leaning against the railing in a relaxed posture, made her certain that he didn’t mind.

The rain had all but stopped, but the air was so cold that Roxanne could see her breath, and the dark, agitated clouds were a sure sign that more rain was fast approaching.Megamind’s features were contrasted by the cold light, creating harsh shadows under his cheekbones. His eyes looked so sad. Roxanne would have given anything to know what made someone like Megamind look that sad.

“Well, then,” he said, glancing up at the angry storm brewing above them. “We really should get going.”

He closed the short gap between him and his bike, swinging a leg over it and starting the engine in one fluid motion, as though he’d done it a million times before. Now, Roxanne wasn’t afraid of heights. She lived near the top of her apartment building, and loved to fly in planes and helicopters. But she was a little hesitant to get on a flying motorcycle when the sky looked so menacing. If there was anything that could make New Years worse, being struck by lightning would be pretty high on that list.

But then Megamind looked at her, and the fear was gone. There was some acceptance in his expression, as though he had already feared she might change her mind, but more than that, he looked disappointed. He really did seem to want to spend time with her. Before she could process what she was doing, she was climbing onto the hoverbike behind him, suddenly very grateful she wasn’t wearing a dress.

She wrapped her arms tight around his waist and closed her eyes, the warmth of him something she had never felt before. It was the kind of thing she could get used to. The smell of his cologne, to her surprise, was comforting.

She shooed those thoughts away; it was already a bad idea to be friends with him. He was a villain, after all. He was mischievous, and determined, and-

And maybe he was sweet to her. Maybe he was sweet and funny, and maybe she really did enjoy talking to him. Maybe she loved how his mind worked, and had never once been able to find someone else who was that interesting to talk to. But none of that mattered. The only thing the two of them could ever be was friends, and Roxanne had known that for a long time. The villain doesn’t fall in love with the damsel.

And even all of their flirting, all of their banter- it was all a game, meant to aggravate Wayne and make the whole thing more entertaining. It was all for the sake of their game, in the end. And any moments of genuine vulnerability she shared with him were purely platonic. God knew he didn’t have a lot of friends, and he was desperate for the softer kinds of interaction she could offer. She knew that, she did. She knew, and yet-

“Are you ready?” Megamind asked, looking back at her. His ears and nose were flushed from the cold, but he didn’t seem bothered by it. The skin on his lips was chapped, and she found herself staring for a moment, before forcing her gaze up to his. He looked-

No. She couldn’t allow herself to believe he might feel that way. Something like that could never happen, and even if it did- which it wouldn’t- it could never work.

She held his waist a little tighter.

“Yeah,” she said, pressing her face into his back. “I’m ready.”

A strong expression flashed across his face that Roxanne didn’t have time to process, before settling into something neutral.

“Alright, then. Hold on tight.”

With that, they took off towards the lair, and the lights of her apartment building disappeared in the haze behind them.


	2. Found Family

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, chapter 2 is finally done. I hope you enjoy it!!

It took them about ten minutes to reach the lair, but for most of that Roxanne’s eyes were shut tight. Megamind had asked her to keep her eyes closed, because of course the exact location of the lair was a secret. That wasn’t a problem for her; keeping her eyes shut meant she didn’t have to look down at the city far, far below them. Instead she could enjoy the feeling of the cold wind on her face, biting and painful and a wonderful distraction to her nervousness.

Yes, she was nervous. It seemed weird to be- after all, she and Megamind had known each other for nearly a decade- but she’d never been able to spend time with him outside of work. She had never seen what he was like, really, when he wasn’t on camera or in public or worried about someone seeing him. She was nervous, and more than that she was-

Excited.

That was probably weirder than being nervous.

“We’re landing now,” he said, and a few moments later Roxanne felt the hoverbike descend, felt her chest momentarily become weightless. It was sort of like being on a plane as it descended towards the ground. The hoverbike landed with a dull thump onto what sounded like concrete.

“You can open your eyes now,” Megamind said. She did, climbing off the bike, and Megamind did the same a moment later; it didn’t take her very long to figure out where they were. So much for her not knowing the location of the lair. This was the cluster of factories and warehouse-type buildings at the edge of the water, most of which were abandoned. Obviously she didn’t know what particular building this was, but- “I figure you have a general idea of where we are. Just as long as you don’t tell anyone about it, I don’t mind.” Roxanne looked up at Megamind, who was gazing out at the line of buildings in front of him. One of his hands was on the railing, picking the chipped paint off the metal bars.

“I won’t tell anyone.”

Megamind glanced over at her and smiled, and for a moment she forgot how to breathe.

“Come on,” he said, offering her an elbow. There was a playful glint in his eyes. “Let’s go inside. Wouldn’t want to get rained on, would we?”

Roxanne took his elbow, and followed him inside a sliding glass door. She wasn’t really sure what she’d been expecting the lair to look like, but it definitely wasn’t what she saw.

There was a kitchen and dining room on the left side, and a living room on the right. The kitchen was raised a couple steps from the rest of the area, and rather than concrete flooring like everything else, the kitchen had brick floors. The counters were a sleek black marble, and the fridge had a few rows of gunmetal spikes decoupaged to the top. Along the island in the kitchen was a row of barstools, which were metal.

The dining area, which was in the corner closest to her, next to the kitchen, had a plain wooden table and black leather chairs with tall backs. A beautiful light fixture hung in between the two rooms.

In the living room Roxanne could see a fireplace, although it looked like it might be an electric one, and a huge flatscreen TV mounted to the wall above it. The couch was a half-circle, made of black leather, with a large glass coffee table in front of it. On the right wall there was a door, and set into the back wall on the same side there was a hallway with several other doors. Overall the space was well-lit and inviting, with brown brick walls and a modern, comfortable atmosphere.

“Wow,” Roxanne said, letting go of Megamind’s arm to take a few steps inside. “Who’s your interior decorator? I might have to hire them.”

“Were you expecting something different?”

And yeah, if she’d been forced to guess, she would have thought the lair was damp and cold and poorly lit, as any villain’s lair in a movie would be. But she wouldn’t admit that, because it was mean, and definitely a stereotype. Roxanne didn’t want to hurt his feelings.

“I mean, you have spikes on your fridge. That fits in with the mental image I had before.” She smiled at him over her shoulder, and felt her heart skip a beat when he smiled back, crooked and uncertain and-

Definitely not endearing at all. Why was her face hot all of a sudden?

Megamind cleared his throat, looking at the floor like he’d noticed something interesting.

“Minion did the decorating,” he said abruptly, “to answer your question from before. He really has an eye for stuff like this.”

“He did a wonderful job.” That earned her a little smile.

Megamind took a seat on one of the barstools, and reached for a bottle near him on the counter. Whiskey? As Roxanne moved closer she confirmed that it was, in fact, whiskey, which Megamind took a swig of straight from the bottle. He noticed her looking at him and laughed under his breath.

“The glasses are too far away,” he said, resting his chin on his palm, his elbow on the counter for support.

“Yeah, uh-huh. You sure you didn’t just want an excuse to drink from the bottle?”

“Oh, of course not.” Megamind took another drink, and shot her a devilish smirk. But Roxanne could see the same melancholy look behind it that had been there when he’d first arrived at her apartment. It did worry her a little bit, knowing how hard he was trying to cover it up.

“Listen, Roxanne.” Megamind looked up at her, his facade faltering just a little. “I hate to disappoint you, but I’m not really feeling my whole plan at the moment. I can show you some other time- and if you want me to take you home, I can.“ He paused, lips slightly parted as he met her gaze. “But you can stay for a drink, if you want. I don’t mind.”

Roxanne felt a little dizzy at the invitation. It frustrated her, the way he was making her stomach twist itself into knots, but she was a little tipsy from the wine she’d had earlier. Maybe it was just that, and it had nothing at all to do with him being wildly attractive. Yeah. Had to be the wine.

“I’d love to,” she said, trying to keep her tone light. And his expression at that- god, he looked so excited, so fucking cute-

Fuck, she needed to change the subject, needed him to stop looking at her with such an affectionate expression on his face-

“Um- where’s Minion?” She asked, turning to look at a doorway on the far side of the room.

There was a pause; Roxanne heard a bottle clunk onto the counter.

“He’s out getting snacks. He does every New Years,” Megamind said.

“Oh, okay.”

Roxanne took a seat on the barstool next to Megamind, and reached for the whiskey bottle. It was sweet, she realized as she took a sip, like brown sugar. The alcohol left a slight burning sensation in her throat when she swallowed. Megamind reached out, and she handed him the bottle.

When she looked outside, she realized that it had started snowing, beginning to collect on the railing and balcony in a thin, glittery layer.

She was about to tell Megamind, but when she glanced at his face she felt her heart twist. All humor had seeped from his expression as he stared down at the bottle in his hands, his eyebrows furrowed up. He looked so tired, like he hadn’t slept well in years. There were dark shadows under his eyes, and the longer she looked at him the more she ached, the more she wanted to help.

“Megamind,” she said, drawing his attention to her face. Despite the amount of alcohol she’d seen him drink, his gaze was sharp and movements controlled. Did he have a better tolerance for alcohol than her? It struck her that his biology was probably different than hers in a lot of ways, so it wouldn’t really be that weird if he had a natural tolerance for alcohol. “Um- listen, I wanted to talk to you about something. It’s been bothering me for a while, now.”

“What is it?” He asked, leaning towards her with what looked like concern. Just as she was about to respond, there was a thud against the glass door.

They both looked towards the sound to find Wayne standing on the balcony, holding a bottle of expensive-looking champagne.

Megamind made an annoyed sound under his breath, but still he got up and opened the door.

“Okay, so I know we had this whole thing planned out for today,” Wayne said, “but it’s snowing and I hate wearing a wet bodysuit, so could we call a truce for today?”

“Fine, but you’re not-“ Metro Man barged inside, completely disregarding Megamind. “Okay, I guess you  are  coming inside.” Megamind sounded frustrated, but Roxanne could see him eyeballing the bottle in Wayne’s hands.

“Oh,” Wayne said, stopping in his tracks when he saw Roxanne. He put the bottle on the counter. “What are you doing here?”

“I could ask you the same thing,” She said, shooting him a look.

“I- okay, fair enough.” Wayne walked over to the couch and flopped down onto it, taking up a third of it with the length of his body.

“At least I was invited,” she said under her breath, but she knew he heard her when Metro City’s superhero flipped her off from over the back of the couch.

Megamind stood against the counter near her, pinching the bridge of his nose with an irritated sound, but when he glanced over at her and noticed her looking at him, his whole demeanor softened.

Roxanne’s mind reeled. What did that mean? Part of her, a little, hopeful part of her thought she might know. But the more realistic part of her knew that it was unlikely. Megamind had never expressed any real interest in her before, only going so far as to casually flirt with her to tease Wayne. She knew that was just part of the game, but-

When she was already this fond of him, it made it hard not to hope.

Roxanne mindlessly reached out and brushed her fingertips over the leather of his glove, to which Megamind looked up, the tips of his ears going pink. Maybe he was just modest, which was a very real possibility that she couldn’t dismiss.

Just as she was about to speak, she heard distinct heavy footsteps from the large doorway next to the kitchen. Minion came inside, carrying several fabric grocery bags on one of his arms.

“I got everything you wanted, sir,” Minion said, looking down to put his keys on the edge of the counter. “But I could have sworn you didn’t like-“ It was that moment he looked up, and noticed Roxanne at the counter, and Wayne on the couch. “-um, Ritz crackers. Why are Miss Ritchi and Metro Man here?” The fish looked hesitant to take his eyes off Wayne, who was oblivious, picking at his fingernails.

“They’re our guests,” Megamind said, leaning hard on the counter. He sounded only a little bit miffed. “We’ve called a truce for tonight.”

“Oh.” Minion set the bags down on the counter and started to take various snack foods out. There were a lot that Roxanne liked to keep stocked in her own cupboards, and she was about to comment on her and Megamind having similar tastes, but when she looked at him-

Oh. That was interesting.

Megamind‘s entire face was purple, and he was looking out the window intently, refusing to look in her direction.

“He texted me after picking you up,” Minion said, offering Roxanne a little smile. “Told me to get a few things for you.”

“He did?” Roxanne asked. Megamind looked back at Minion and gave him a sharp look, but the fish ignored him, smiling to himself as he opened a roll of crackers. He offered it to Roxanne, and she took one.

Roxanne smiled playfully at Megamind, taking a bite of the cracker.

The way he was looking at her made her chest feel warm and crowded; she could see him thinking, studying her like she was a puzzle he had yet to decipher. It was kind of sexy-

She scolded herself for thinking that, but even as she did, her gaze hesitated on his slightly parted lips. When their eyes met again, she noticed the way his pupils were blown wide.

“So, Miss Ritchi,” Minion said, breaking the emotionally weighted eye contact between her and Megamind. “What kinds of boards games do you like? I imagine this will be kind of like a party, so...” Minion had the cutest look on his face, shy and hesitant, but grinning nonetheless. It made sense; he seemed like the type to enjoy small get-togethers.

“I like clue,” Roxanne said quietly, reaching for another cracker. “And battleship.”

She heard Megamind take in a sharp breath beside her. That look on his face-

He looked like she’d just slapped him. Twice.

“Me too,” he said, grinning dazedly at her. It struck her in that moment, harder than she’d ever admit, just how much she liked him. And if she were being honest... it scared her.

Because she-

She loved him.

And to him it was just for the sake of their villain-damsel social dynamic. That’s what villains did. Flirt with their damsels. But their damsels definitely weren’t supposed to fall in love with them. That wasn’t how the game was supposed to go, and yet that was how it seemed to be going, certain to do nothing but break Roxanne’s heart.

“I like the game of life,” Wayne called from the sofa, and Roxanne made a face. She really wasn’t fond of that game.

Then she noticed Megamind was making the same face as her, and soon neither of them were making faces anymore because they were laughing uncontrollably. Roxanne’s chest ached with a sublime sort of pain. They were friends, she knew that much. And she loved that, she did, she loved getting to see him laugh like this, to see him smile at her and talk to her so comfortably-

And it would have to be enough. She would make it enough for her to get by, because the last thing she wanted to do was encumber him with her feelings. From the glimpses he’d given her of his heart, she didn’t think he’d appreciate another weight on his overburdened shoulders.

They played a few rounds of battleship together around the glass coffee table, which Megamind turned out to be very good at. When it was their turns to play a game of it together, he sank her two smallest ships within the first five minutes.

“You’re cheating,” she said after he sank her fourth ship. “You are so cheating, there is  no way  you’re playing fair right now-“ he let out a bark of laughter as she reached out and grabbed his wrist. “No, not my battleship- don’t-“

“-it’s only fair, Miss Ritchi-“ he gasped through laughter. “4E, Miss Ritchi- 4E. Am I right?”

She looked down at her side of the board, and felt a little burst of excitement.

“Miss!” She said triumphantly. “Finally- okay, um... 8B?”

“Damn you,” Megamind said, shoving a peg into his side of the board. “I’m still going to win. 5E?”

“Fuck.” Roxanne pushed a red peg into the end of her battleship. The game ended pretty quickly after that.

“You cheated,” she huffed playfully, crossing her arms over her chest. “I want a rematch!”

“I didn’t cheat, Miss Ritchi,” Megamind said, smirking at her. “I’m afraid I just predicted your every move. Easy peasy.”

“Oh, you little-“ she cut herself off, letting out a little puff of breath. Her face hurt from smiling. “I am going to  destroy  you at clue.”

Roxanne had a strategy for clue. Once she had played for a reasonable time, and had an idea of what was going on, she’d use items from two categories which she had, and use one she didn’t know yet, for her guess. That way she could narrow things down faster, and also avoid people figuring out which items she already had. That’s the strategy she used to beat Megamind at clue three times in a row. Wayne sat out for clue, instead checking the envelope for the answers when someone thought they had it.

Roxanne played as Miss Scarlett, naturally, and Megamind played as Colonel Mustard for two games, and Mrs. Peacock for the last game, claiming it was his character that had caused him to lose. It wasn’t. Minion chose Mr. Green. The board game was fun, and winning was fun, too, but the best part by far was watching Megamind’s brain work. He shot her a glance every now and then, a look that said ‘I’m onto you, Miss Ritchi.’ It sent a little thrill through her every time he did it.

“I don’t understand how you keep winning so quickly,” Megamind said after the third round of clue. She expected him to be frustrated about losing, but when she looked up, he was beaming at her. “You’re so clever,” he said, his expression going soft like it had earlier. Minion looked back at forth between them, his fins fluttering nervously.

“You’re pretty bright, yourself,” Roxanne said, leaning in towards Megamind a little. Because of the way the board was laid out, the two of them were sitting close together, no more than a foot of space between them. Her shoulder brushed against his. Even through the multiple layers he wore, she saw him tense up. He shot her a look that made her melt.

“Thank you,” he murmured, and for a moment it was all she could do not to kiss him right then and there.

“Wayne,” Minion piped up, “do you still want to play the game of life? The game closet is in the hallway, maybe the two of us should go get it.”

Wayne glanced up from his phone, only then noticing the tension in the room.

“Oh, yeah- sure,” he said, hovering up from the couch. “Lead the way.”

Roxanne felt her face go hot as the two made their way towards the hall.

“Ah. I guess they thought we needed a few minutes alone,” Roxanne said, laughing nervously.

“I suppose they did, didn’t they?” Megamind said, glancing towards the hallway. He seemed antsy all of a sudden. “Do you need anything? Water? I’ll go get you a glass of water.” He stood and hurried towards the kitchen, and didn’t return until after Minion had the entire board game set up.

It did hurt, even if she wouldn’t admit it. He didn’t want to be in a room with her alone, and that made her worry that she had done something wrong. Maybe she’d made him uncomfortable when she bumped her shoulder into his? It had seemed like a fairly innocent action, but maybe it had crossed a line?

“Are you okay?” She asked, only loud enough for him to hear. Minion and Wayne were absorbed in conversation, not really paying attention to her or Megamind.

“Of course,” he said, handing her a glass of water, their fingers brushing together as she took it. The cup was black glass, with vines etched into it. She turned it in her fingers, trying to ignore the sparks he’d left in her fingertips. He glanced at her, something akin to fear behind his eyes, but she didn’t pry.

Instead, she offered him a little smile, and took a sip of the water he’d given her.

Fear melted into relief. Was he worried that he upset her by leaving so abruptly? That was actually really sweet.

“So- the game of life,” Megamind said, clearing his throat.

“It’s great,” Wayne said, sitting up to take a look at the board. “I call the red car. My mom and I used to play this together when I was a kid.” Wayne held the small plastic car in the palm of his hand, looking at it wistfully. Roxanne picked up the light blue car, and put a little pink peg into the driver’s seat. Megamind took a car and put a blue peg in, making a little face. Minion got his piece ready as well, and they started the game.

Roxanne, having only played once as a kid, found the game to be pretty boring. It didn’t bring back any memories for her like it did for Wayne. But to her surprise, she still enjoyed it.

Minion got excited when he drew the “doctor” career card, which was cute all on its own, but even cuter when he lost that job and became an artist instead. It seemed to delight him, the thought of his doctor having a midlife crisis and becoming a painter.

Megamind ended up with a daughter, a set of twins and a wife by the end of the game. It was nice, seeing his reaction to landing on baby spaces. She’d never really taken him as the type to want a family. But both times he lit up with a huge smile, and collected his little pegs to put into his car.

Wayne ended up winning, which wasn’t a surprise, but Roxanne was honestly having a nice time. The casual banter, the drinking, the laughing... it was something she hadn’t even realized she’d wanted. Sure, looking at Megamind made her feel confused and achy behind her ribs, but it also made her inexplicably happy. There was a softness to it all. It felt like being home, for the first time in her life.


End file.
